Saturday, October 31, 2009

Happy Harvest!

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Monday, October 26, 2009

Magnetic Chalkboard Art Project

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At the beginning of this month, I posted this $7.99 frame from Hobby Lobby as the Bargain Find of the Week. At the time, I didn’t know how I was going to fill the frame or where exactly I would place it in the house. But I am a firm believer of letting things sit until you find some inspiration and have a clear vision of how you want a finished project to look and feel.

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I found my inspiration for this project in several places. First, one day I walked in the front door and noticed the empty frame sitting on the easel. I hadn’t noticed it immediately after placing the frame and easel in that spot, but I noticed that day that it could be clearly seen when standing in my front entryway. That is when it occurred to me that I should make some sort of message board.

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But what kind of message board? I had seen some great chalkboard projects done all over blog land, but I just never thought I could fit a black or dark grey chalkboard into my Family Room decor. Then I found a jar of BROWN chalkboard paint from Joann’s. Perfect! I still wanted to add a little sparkle to the chalkboard though. I found that inspiration over at Shanty 2 Chic’s Too Cute Magnets! If you haven’t done so already, please check out these two wonderful ladies’ blog. They have some terrific projects and I also won their most recent giveaway (I love my pink hammer!). Whitney’s project inspired me to use a magnetic paint primer under my chalkboard paint so I could attach some sparkly letters to the board also.

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So I used the hardboard backing from this poster frame (I will be using the acrylic front in another project to be completed soon) and added so many coats of magnetic primer that I actually lost count. I think it was about 4 or 5 though. The instructions said that the magnetic receptivity increased with the amount of coats added and I wanted to make sure my magnets would stick. I then went over the top with 2 coats of the brown chalkboard paint.

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I found the exact same letters Whitney used on sale for $5.99 at Joann’s last week. I spray painted and embossed them and added pieces of magnet sheets to the back of each letter.

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That pack of punch out comes with tons of letters. So far, I have enough to spell out Welcome, Happy Harvest, Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Happy Easter. I plan to decorate all of these letters and change out my message board seasonally. I think this is another one of my most favorite projects so far. And to think it all started with a $12.50 easel and $7.99 frame that I thought was just too good of a bargain to pass up!

I am linking up to Kimba's Diy Day at A Soft Place to Land. Go check out the great projects!

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Bargain Find of the Week

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This week’s bargain find is this tall and slim apothecary jar that I picked up from Hobby Lobby for $6.90. It was originally priced at $19.99. Not a rock bottom price, but probably one of the cheapest clear glass apothecary jars I have found in a very long time. I plan to collect more of these in various shapes and sizes and use them as a Christmas centerpiece on my dining room table. I think a grouping of these would look fabulous filled with glass Christmas ornaments!

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Decorating a Sofa Table

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I posted back in early September asking advice on how to decorate my new sofa table. Well I got a lot of good advice and this week it finally all came together.

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I started with these three candleholders I already had from Hobby Lobby’s last 80% home decor clearance sale and I added these DIY embossed candles to them.

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One of the most repeated piece of advice I received was to add a basket to the bottom shelf. So this was my very first new purchase for the table. This basket has come in very handy for storing newspapers and magazines until they are read and recycled.

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My friend Latasha surprised me with this gorgeous Fleur de Lis platter that she knew would look terrific in my family room. I have gradually started picking up various Fleur de Lis pieces since then because it reminds me of home (I was born and raised in south Louisiana and lived there up until 11 years ago).

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All of these glass pieces was found at the thrift store or the Dollar Tree. I posted about creating this mini cake stand here. I made those glittered/sugared pumpkins to add a touch of fall to them and added some ribbon and tassels. I plan to change the decor out to match the current seasons throughout the year.

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On the top of the sofa table, I added this oval glass tray I picked up on clearance at Target. I placed these decorative balls I made on it. Since I don’t have the space to add tables to the ends of the sofa and this table is as tall as the sofa, I added a set of coasters to use when a place is needed to sit drinks down. Did you notice another touch of Fleur de Lis on the coaster holder?

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And last, I added this decorative and functional storage box/book to the top of the sofa table. I use it to store family pictures and keepsakes and mementos. I love having them within easy reach and not stored away. That way I still get to enjoy them more often even if they are not on constant display.

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My advice to anyone who needs to decorate a sofa table or another large piece of furniture is to don’t rush it. Let the decor evolve as needed over time. When you do buy something, place it on the piece and live with it a couple of days before you commit to it. Not everything I purchased for this table actually ended up there as time went on. I took a while to finally get a finished look to this table, but I am glad that I can say I honestly like every piece of decor that is there and that I am not just filling space.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Going Green with a Brown Thumb!

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After Symone’s Mommy and Symone bought my daughter a bouquet of flowers in honor of her first high school dance and we enjoyed those gorgeous blooms for a week, I knew that I needed to incorporate something green and living (or was once living) into my living spaces to break up all of the browns. But I knew that I have never been successful in keeping green plants alive, so I would have to come up with an alternative. And I found it in preserved sheet moss and preserved reindeer moss.

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I used some small urns purchased for 50% off from Hobby Lobby, a Styrofoam ball and a Styrofoam cone and hot glued the moss onto the foam using my LOW temp glue gun. That reminds me – do you know that there are low temp glue guns? I’ve read so much about burned fingertips in blog land that I don’t think a lot of people may be aware of them. I works the exact same way as hot temp glue guns, but it just doesn’t get as hot. I find them to be perfect for projects like this that involves using your fingers to press lightweight items into the glue.

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I used the sheet moss on the cone topiary and the reindeer moss on the ball topiary. I loved how the came out and adds just a bit of green to my living spaces. I’ll definitely be making more of these to place all around my house.

I am linking up to Kimba's DIY Day at a Soft Place to Land.

DIY Day @ ASPTL

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Bargain Find of the Week


This week's bargain find wasn't found in a store, but in my garage! I found these Christmas decorations that I purchased at Garden Ridge in late January of this year for 90% off. I had completely forgotten about these items and stored them away with my other Christmas decorations and moved them to my new home in April. While organizing the garage I stumbled across a receipt totaling $6.93 for various Christmas items. I started going through bins and I felt like I was shopping in my garage. I found 2 bundles of 9-ft pre-lit garland, 2 7-ft bow Christmas tree toppers and a couple of berry picks. As much as possible, I try to purchase seasonal decor items after the season is over for 90% off. So I always get to shop my stored items in the following season. I can't wait to find creative ways to incorporate these items in my Christmas decor this year.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Quick and Easy Glass Display Stand

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Glass cake stands like this are hard to come by in the thrift stores I frequent. Even the cheese domes have seemed to increase in popularity lately and aren’t seen as frequently. But I finally found one yesterday at the same thrift store I purchased my bargain chair from.

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I had no so luck in finding a cake stand to use with it though. So I used a sundae dish from the Dollar Tree and a thrift store dessert plate to make one. I didn’t even glue them together. I just turned the sundae dish upside and set the dessert plate on top. Quick and easy!

I am linking up to Creative Cats Friday at Poppies at Play. Go check out the amazing ideas!


Sunday, October 11, 2009

‘Give Thanks’ Painted Glass Platter

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Okay, I have been a little obsessed with decorating glass objects lately. This is my third glass project in as many weeks. I promise I will stop – right after I complete one for Christmas… and maybe Easter also. My inspiration for this piece came after I saw similar Fall decor platter at Hobby Lobby with gold leaves and a green background.

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I started with a plain glass platter I picked up from Wal-mart. I then printed a design in reverse and taped it to the front of the platter.

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Next I used Liquid Leaf and a small paintbrush to trace the design onto the back of the platter.

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I then sprayed about 3 thin coats of Krylon Metallic spray paint in Sparkling Canyon onto the back of the platter and finished it off with a coat of Valspar Clear Gloss spray paint.

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Because I used paint supplies that I already had on hand, the only costs involved was the $4 platter from Wal-mart. I plan to look for glass plates and platters at the thrift store to be able to do more of these projects in the future at an even less expensive cost.

I am linking up to the Fall Festival at The DIY Show Off. Be sure to visit the great Fall projects that are being showcased.

The DIY Show Off

I am also linking up to the Knock Off Knock Out Party at Its So Very Cheri! Go check out the fabulous projects there too.



I am also linking up to Kimba's DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land.

DIY Day @ ASPTL


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